Breakfast at Blair's
by witandwaldorf
Summary: Breakfast at Tiffany's AU. Blair Waldorf is a 25-year-old socialite flitting through life without a care or attachment to anyone or anything until she meets her new neighbor, Dan Humphrey. Dan is an up and coming writer who is entranced by Blair's world and begins an unexpected friendship with her.
1. Chapter 1

On a crisp, Saturday morning in spring Blair Waldorf was walking down 5th Avenue, striding towards her haven, Tiffany's. With a croissant and coffee in hand, she admired the sparkling jewelry on display display. She took a sip of her hot coffee to stop herself from shivering. Her stocking clad legs were feeling colder by the minute. She pulled her coat closer to her.

She had figured, the cold morning walk would give her clarity. Lately she felt stuck in a rut. She had goals and ambitions but they seemed to be getting further away, not closer to achievement. Blair Waldorf's dream was to become editor-in-chief at a fashion magazine such as Vogue, Elle, or Harper's Bazaar. Considering she was only 25 though, she would settle for fashion editor, for now at least.

After graduating from Yale University, Blair had gone on to intern at InStyle. After a year of interning for InStyle, she had secured an assistant position with Glamour. Her job wasn't ideal, a lot of it was still errands but she loved the rare days when she got to assist on a photoshoot or even help out with styling.

But after over two years of being at Glamour, she couldn't help but yearn for more. She wanted a promotion even if it hadn't been that long yet. She was sick of bringing in coffees and dragging around clothing racks. Calling the shots was what Blair longed to do. On this frosty morning, Blair decided she would do whatever it took to secure herself a position as an associate editor.

Finishing her coffee, Blair set off for home.

The sound of the intercom buzzing awoke Blair the next morning. Pushing her sleep mask up on her forehead, she climbed out of bed and through on a crisp white button down shirt. Determined to see who the offender was, she strode out to her living room. She pressed through to let whoever it was in and opened her door a crack to see.

Walking up the stairs, was a man perhaps around the same age as her with curly hair and high cheekbones. He looked her way and rounded the corner, heading straight for her door.

"Hi, I'm so sorry about that. I am moving in today and wasn't sure how to get through the main door so I buzzed through and you were the one to pick up." He looked at her shirt and the sleeping mask on her forehead. "I hope I didn't wake you."

He had warm brown eyes that made it impossible to be mad at him for waking her. She had to admit he was really cute, even with the mop of unruly curls atop his head.

"You did, but that's alright." She said nodding at him.

"I'm Dan Humphrey, I'll be living one floor up." He said, extending his hand to shake hers.

"Blair Waldorf." She smiled at him, sleepily. "I'm sure I will see you around." She added as she started to close the door.

"Actually, could I ask another favor?" He looked sheepish at needing to bother her more.

She opened the door again, "I suppose."

"Do you have a phone charger I could borrow? Mine is dead and I have a friend who's supposed to come to help me get moved in plus I need to contact the manager about getting the key for the entry door."

"Yes, come in while I find it." Blair opened the door and let Dan in. Dan seemed to look around her apartment with curious eyes.

Blair's apartment was meticulously decorated. Adorned with vintage trinkets she found at antique shops and a large portrait of Marie Antoinette. Her apartment's theme was Parisian chic since that of course was her favorite city.

"So how long have you lived here?"

"About a year." Blair replied while opening up a drawer to her large chest of drawers which sat under the television. "Finally. Here it is." She said as she retrieved a long white cord.

"Thank you, I'll just go plug it in."

"Oh no, just borrow it. We're neighbors now so you can just return it later." She wasn't exactly in the right state to be entertaining guests. She would much prefer to be dressed and made up when in the company of an admittedly attractive male.

"You sure?" He asked with a hesitance.

"Absolutely." She was on the verge of pushing him and his plaid flannel shirt out of her apartment.

"Alright, well thank you so much. I will return it as soon as this is all charged up."

At last he left and she closed the door behind him. With a tiny flicker of something registering in her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all to those who already started reading this and leaving reviews! It is much appreciated :) So a few notes on this story: It will be inspired by/loosely based on Breakfast at Tiffany's. The main AU aspect of this story is that Dan and Blair never met in high school and Serena never came back from boarding school. Blair did date Nate though and more details on that will be in the story. I've also included some key Breakfast at Tiffany's scenes except they have been reworked to fit with the story and modernized to suit current decade. Hope you all enjoy!**

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Dan returned that evening with an apologetic look. Blair was all dressed up and planning to have friends over for drinks. She was wearing a black cocktail dress with a low neckline and fitted silhouette. She was just putting in a crystal pair of Kate Spade earrings when she heard him knock.

"Hi. I'm sorry this took all day to get back to you."

"No worries." She smiled, reassuringly. "How did moving in go?"

"Well except it was exhausting and took longer than I thought. You look like you're about to head out. I should leave you to it." Dan's eyes flicked to her dress.

"Actually, I'm having people over here. Would you want to join in an hour? It's just a few friends coming for drinks." She started putting in the other earring.

"Sure, that would be great. Thanks. I'll see you in an hour then."

"See you then." She said before shutting the door. She was glad he had seen her looking like this she had to admit. At least now he knew she wasn't always a disheveled mess and that she cleaned up quite nicely.

As friends started arriving, she felt distracted waiting to see if Dan would actually come. She was looking forward to seeing him again and learning more about him. He was really cute and she never met cute, dateable guys anymore. All of the guys she went out with lately were total rats.

Her relief was palpable when he came in about half an hour after everyone else had arrived. He handed her a bottle of wine. He surveyed the room full of friends, more people had come than she had expected. All in all, there were at least 15 or so friends.

She smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I really did think it would be just a few friends."

"You must have a ton of friends if this is what you define as a few." He laughed and she led him over to her bar cart.

"What do you want to drink?"

He scanned the options. "I'll take a whiskey please."

"So Dan, what do you do?" She poured him the drink, letting the amber liquid fill up half of the glass. Then, she handed it to him, accidentally brushing his hand. She felt a tiny spark at the contact.

"I'm a writer." He looked a bit shy about it and took a sip.

She nodded. "What sort of writer? Fiction? Journalism?"

"Both actually. Fiction is my passion. Short stories mostly. But I write articles to pay the bills."

"Would I have heard of anything you've written? Dan Humphrey…" She scanned her mind trying to think if she had heard of anything he had written.

He chuckled, "Probably not.

"You know, I like that. Humphrey, can I call you that instead?" Blair said as she put a finger under her chin, thoughtfully.

"Sure, if you want. So what do you do?"

She nodded. "I'm a fashion assistant at Glamour."

"Wow sounds… glamourous. Literally." He gave a tiny chuckle and she laughed in return. "Sorry, terrible joke."

"Not as glamorous as one might think. I do a lot of steaming clothes and picking up garment bags. But I like it."

It was getting somewhat noisier and she was reminded of all the other people in her apartment. "Come meet my friends!"

Most of her friends here were people she had met through work. A few were writers also who Dan stuck to talking to. After circulating, she returned to Dan who was sitting next to her friend Camille. She took a seat with them and over the next half hour, learned more about him. He had gone to Brown University where he had graduated with his Bachelor's in English. He had a string of short stories published over the two years after graduating. Since then, though he said he had suffered from writer's block. So in the meantime, he was a writer for The New York Times. She was very impressed by this last part and a bit surprised he wasn't more proud of it. Apparently, the content they assigned him wasn't ideal.

"Blair, you didn't tell me Lexie was coming!" Camille's voice broke their conversation. Hearing her door open, she turned to see the latecomers were. She spotted her friend, Alexandra, who she had worked with at InStyle, her fiance, and then a third guy who was known to her.

"Who's that?" Blair asked Camille.

Camille's eyes flickered in recognition. "Emerson Sinclair."

Emerson, she soon learned, was the son of the CEO of the top media publishing company in the country. At this, her eyes lit up. On top of his extremely interesting connection, he was also very handsome, he looked sculpted almost.

"Excuse me. I should go greet them." She quickly made her way over to introduce herself.

"Lexie!" She greeted her friend with air kisses on the cheeks. She nodded towards her fiance, Harris. Then she turned to Emerson. "Hi, I'm Blair." She stuck her hand out for him to shake.

"Hi Blair, thank you for allowing me to attend your party." He his green eyes sparkled at her. "I'm Emerson."

"Come have a drink." She led him over to the bar, eager to talk more to him. He was tall, definitely over 6 feet so even in her heels she had to tilt her head up to reach his eyes. His hair was golden blonde and glossy under the recessed lights.

After pouring his drink, she headed back over to where Dan and Camille were and he followed. But then, Dan stood up. "Blair, I should be going."

She felt a pang of disappointment. She had gotten so distracted by Emerson's arrival she had forgotten about Dan for a moment. "Right. Well, thank you for coming."

He headed out and she watched him leave, still feeling a little sad.

"Shall we sit?" Her thoughts were interrupted by Emerson's voice.

She smiled and sat down with him on the couch. She spent the rest of the night chatting easily with him. Apparently, unlike his father, he was not in the publishing industry. Instead, he was a human rights lawyer which surprised her. He had done a ton of traveling too and worked on a number of charitable projects. She figured he must be taken because there was no way someone as charming, giving, and intelligent as he was could possibly be single but then he asked for her number before leaving. So maybe not, she figured. He told her he would text her soon to work out a date to meet for drinks. While she felt hopeful at the prospect, it wasn't him she thought of later that night. It was Dan she most wanted to see again.


	3. Chapter 3

Thursday evening, Blair returned from work feeling a bit exhausted. All week she had worked long hours at the magazine. She was relieved she just had more day left out of the week. As she dragged herself up the stairs, she saw Dan descending the stairs.

"Hi, Humphrey." She smiled, happy to see him again.

"Hey, how are you?" He paused on the landing to wait for her.

"I'm exhausted. I've been working at least 10 hours every day this week.."

He winced. "I'm sorry, that's rough."

"You?"

"I'm good. Just was headed out to get takeout."

"Oh don't let me keep you then. It was nice to see you again." Blair started back up the stairs.

"Actually, what are you doing for dinner?"

"I hadn't planned anything actually." Blair paused on the landing, curious.

"Would you want to, I don't know, eat with me?"

She smiled, "Sure, why not?"

He asked what she wanted and then said he would be back in 15 with their Thai food. She said they could eat at her place if he wanted which he agreed to. He said his was still a "work in progress" so that would probably be preferable.

She straightened up while she waited for him. She contemplated lighting a candle but decided that would be too romantic. _This wasn't a date, right?_ Either way, she headed into the bathroom to her vanity to touch up her makeup. She also decided to change out of her work clothes. She decided on an ivory fitted cashmere sweater with black skinny jeans.

He arrived back with their orders just as she finished pouring them each a glass of wine. Normally, Blair wouldn't eat takeout. But something about Dan made her feel like she didn't need to fuss so much over the little things like how respectable it was to eat takeout. She had always considered it sort of lazy but with Dan's company, it felt perfectly natural.

"Thank you so much for getting this. It smells amazing." Blair smiled as he set down the bag of food on the table. "I hadn't seen you all week. I was beginning to think you had changed your mind about living here."

"No, actually I've mostly been holed up writing."

"For work or for yourself?"

"For myself. It seems that writer's block has been lifted."

Blair raised her glass. "Well, cheers to that!" She clinked her glass to his and smiled at him, he returned her smile with an even warmer one.

"You know, normally I wouldn't hang out with someone from Brooklyn." Blair dished out her curry into a bowl.

"Really? So I'm an exception?"

Blair nodded and then continued, "In high school, I was totally obsessed with the social pyramid and always being on top. Being from Brooklyn would make you an outcast, at least it would at my school."

"I could totally see you being queen bee. You probably wouldn't have even said hi to me. Let alone let me borrow a phone charger or come to your party."

"Probably not." She said with a sheepish smile.

"I wouldn't have wanted to hang out with you either, though. I totally hated cliques and what they stood for."

"So you wouldn't have said yes even if I had invited you to a party?"

He looks pensive for a moment. "Unlikely. I think I would have secretly wanted to but would have too much pride to say yes."

"Well, then it's a good thing we didn't meet in high school."

Dan nodded in agreement.

As they ate, they discussed high school a bit more. Dan's parents Alison and Rufus had always had a troublesome marriage but stuck it out until his younger sister, Jenny, graduated from high school. They had gone to school in Brooklyn with Dan eventually graduating and going to Brown and Jenny going to FIT. Now, his parents were divorced which Blair could relate to.

Blair filled him in on her dad turned out to be gay and left her mother for a male model. At the time it felt like the end of the world but then her dad and his partner moved to a French chateau which meant she could summer in France. Her mom's new husband wasn't so bad she told him. He was way too family-oriented but she came around to him eventually. Dan's dad apparently got back together with his old band and now toured around the country.

Even though they finished eating, Dan agreed to hanging out for a bit longer. Blair poured them each a second rather full glass of wine. The topic turned to relationships. Dan was single, his longest relationship was with a girl he met in a college but decided he didn't really see a future with her. Then, he asked her about hers. She was reluctant but decided to regale him with the full Nate story.

"Nate Archibald. Our families were friends so we grew up together and it was sort of always assumed we would marry. So we were kind of together our whole lives until high school… He cheated on me with my then-best friend Serena." She paused to take a large sip of her wine. "Serena left after that to go to boarding school and I foolishly took Nate back. We managed to stick it out until our first year of college until he decided he didn't want such a serious commitment. So he broke up with me and I haven't been in a serious relationship since." Blair downed the rest of her wine.

Dan winced. "That's awful, I'm sorry."

"Oh wait, I didn't get to the best part. At the end of this past summer, Nate shows up to my friend Kati's party with Serena as his date. Then, they told everyone at the party how they both ran into each other on vacation in Bali. It was this whole sickening story with them beaming at each other the whole time. Seriously, I wanted to throw up."

"Well, he is missing out on an incredible girl."

She laughed a little, "Thanks but I'm not sure you know me well enough to say that and mean it. Besides, you haven't met Serena. If you did, you would probably fall in love with her too."

He has a thoughtful expression before saying, "I can't imagine anyone being more charming than you are."

"You're too nice." She rolled her eyes a little. "Anyway, that's enough of my sob story."

"It was nice getting to know you better."

"You too."

"So I better be going. You must be exhausted from work."

"Thanks for dinner. It was fun." She showed him to the door and after an awkward moment of hesitation gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Closing the door behind him, she lingered for a moment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Thank you for the reviews :) This chapter is a short one but they will start getting longer soon!**

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Friday morning, Blair received a text from Emerson. He asked her to get drinks with him tonight to which she replied yes. He said he would pick her up from her apartment at 8 and they would head to the bar together. She had just enough time to head home and change. She decided on a black Kate Spade dress with a fitted bodice and a-line skirt. She added a jeweled necklace and donned a pair of Jimmy Choo glitter pumps.

"Hi, Blair. You look beautiful." Emerson said as she opened the door to her apartment.

"Thank you, it's good to see you again."

"Ready?"

She nodded and grabbed her bag. Locking the door behind her, they strode toward the staircase. As the reached the landing, she spotted Dan heading up the stairs.

He nodded and said a curt hello as he passed them. She smiled in return and noticed he didn't give her the normal warm smile he usually did. She pushed it out of her mind as they headed out and made their way to the bar.

The evening with Emerson was nice and quite enjoyable but after 3 drinks. She said she needed to head home. She told him she just was so tired from her long work week but she would love to see him again soon. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek goodnight after walking her home.

She kept hoping she would run into Dan again over the weekend but had no such luck. So on Sunday morning, she distracted herself by going to brunch with Camille.

"So fill me in on you and Emerson. I can't believe he asked you to go to drinks. So jealous." Camille looked eager for details.

Blair laughed, "It was only drinks, Camille. I don't know if he'll even ask me out again. I sort of went home early."

"Why would you do that? He's literally the most eligible bachelor, you need to lock him down."

"I was tired Camille and I'm not desperate." Blair said in a serious tone. Her friend was so dramatic sometimes.

"You're the one that's always saying how you thought you would be married by the time you were 25. It's a golden opportunity. You know marrying him would basically secure your future as an editor right? His dad's company publishes like literally every fashion magazine."

"Not _literally_ every fashion magazine Camille." Blair rolled her eyes in a playful way at her friend.

"Still... You know what I mean."

"I do. I told him I want to go out with him again so hopefully."

Camille looked pensive for a moment before speaking again, "I'm sort of surprised you aren't more excited about him. He's like exactly your type right? Chiseled, charming, and connected." Camille swooned as she described him. "Wait, don't tell me. You're not into that writer guy you had at your party right?"

"What? Dan? No, he's just my friend." Blair felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Really Camille, I like Emerson."

"Hm… I don't know Blair. He definitely seemed into you. He was making puppy dog eyes at you and he left right when you started to talk to Emerson."

"We had just met that day. I highly doubt it." Blair couldn't help but feel a little excited at the idea that Dan liked her but quickly squelched the feeling.

"Enough about me! Let's talk about you. What's going on with you?" Blair quickly changed the subject as the current one was making her a bit uncomfortable. Camille then droned on about how difficult it was for her to meet a cute, single guy that her family would approve of. Like Blair, Camille was also from the UES and from a well-to-do family. Again, Camille emphasized how lucky Blair was to have been asked out by Emerson but Blair felt hollow at the thought.

Later though, Blair found herself replaying what Camille had said about Emerson, _marrying him would basically secure your future as an editor._ But then she would flip to what she said about Dan, _he definitely seemed into you._ She felt conflicted but then reasoned that if Dan was into her, wouldn't he had made a move?


	5. Chapter 5

On Monday night, Blair came home to a note slipped under her door.

 _Realized I don't have your number. Wanted to ask you something. -Dan_

Under his name, his number was scribbled. The curiosity of what he wanted to ask her was agonizing so after setting down her bag, she texted him. Got your note, it's Blair.

He replied within minutes, Are you free at all this week? You mentioned you like foreign films and wondered if you wanted to come over for a movie.

Her stomach gave a tiny flutter. She tried to push aside the question that instantly popped into her mind. Is Dan Humphrey asking me on a date? She thought. She replied, Sure, when?

Tomorrow night?

She smiled at the thought of seeing him in less than 24 hours. Camille's words sprang to her mind again, You're not into that writer guy… No, she just was happy to have a new friend. One that she could share her passion for movies with. A fellow intellectual, that's all.

Blair got into work extra early Tuesday so she could be home by 6 which would give her an hour to get ready to go over to Dan's. After eating a salad, she went to change. She gave her outfit much thought since she had no idea if it was a date or not. She eventually decided on a pale pink short sleeve sweater with scalloped edges, grey ankle skinny jeans, and black studded ballet flats.

Grabbing a bottle of wine, she headed up to his apartment. He opened the door and she instantly smelled popcorn.

"Hey, glad you could come." He leaned over to hug her.

"Thanks for inviting me." Blair felt inexplicably nervous and tried to regain her composure. She stuck out the bottle of wine.

"I'll go grab us glasses, come in." She entered his apartment and looked around. It was somewhat lacking in decor. But it still was nice. She spotted a desk with a vintage typewriter on it and smiled at it. She walked over to it.

"Do you write on this?"

"Only sometimes. It's not so practical but I love it for writing short stories or work I don't intend to publish."

"Work you don't intend to publish? Doesn't every writer want everything they write to be published?" Blair stroked the keys as she spoke.

"Some work really shouldn't see the light of day. Especially deeply personal ones."

"But aren't those the best ones?" Blair said walking over to him to grab the glass of wine he poured her.

He laughed a little. "I guess it depends on who's reading it."

She noticed the pot of popcorn on the stove and eyed it hungrily. The salad she had eaten had barely sustained her.

"Let me put that into a bowl. I just made it."

"What movie are we watching?" Blair grabbed the bowl of popcorn from him and ate a few pieces.

"You choose." He pointed to the stack of movies on the coffee table.

She chose a French movie which ended up being really good. During the movie, she and Dan had sat with a respectable distance between them. But a few times, they had reached for popcorn at the same time and their hands brushed. She felt that same jolt of electricity she had before.

Afterward, they discussed the movie and debated a bit about the best French drama of all time. None of her friends, and certainly not Nate, had ever been into foreign films so she enjoyed their discussion greatly. At least, that's how she rationalized how happy the evening made her. Certainly not because of Dan.

"Agree to disagree?" Blair asked as they concluded their debate.

"I suppose so." He stuck his hand out and they shook on it, both laughing.

"We should do this again sometime. Do you like classics too?"

Dan nodded fervently. "Yes, definitely."

"Okay next time we will watch a classic."

"Deal."

"I should head out. I have work tomorrow. Thank you for having me."

He walked her over to the door. "Goodnight, Blair." Then he surprised her by kissing her lightly on the cheek. As she walked down the stairs to her apartment, she pressed her fingertips to the spot where his lips had brushed her skin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for being patient with me! I meant to post a new chapter over the weekend but didn't have a chance so here are two new chapters! Thanks for reading :)**

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Thursday afternoon, Blair received a text from Emerson. _Dinner tomorrow night?_ Blair thought it over and decided to say yes. She replied, _Sure, I can meet you after work. Where?_ He suggested an Italian restaurant a few blocks away so she agreed. She texted Camille to tell her about the date and predictably, her friend replied with a bunch of celebratory emojis and a cupid heart. She rolled her eyes.

She would be lying though if she said she didn't wish the date was with Dan instead of Emerson. She had only briefly seen him this morning on her way out and he cheerily said hello. That was all since the movie night.

So she tried to be excited for her date with Emerson. Seeing him waiting in the restaurant looking dapper in a suit with a skinny tie brightened her. He was incredibly well dressed. He kissed on the cheek and held her chair out for her to sit. Also very chivalrous, she noted.

Over dinner, they talked about their weeks. She started to see more and more how dedicated he was to his job and how much he genuinely wanted to help other people. It was really admirable. Meanwhile, she felt like her job was so meaningless in comparison which he quickly dismissed.

"I know how much hard work it takes to make it at a magazine, Blair. You must work extremely hard and it is an important job. It's your passion, I can tell that. Everyone deserves a job they are passionate about. You just help people in other ways."

"Right. Without me, I mean those poor actresses on set would have to steam their own outfits."

He laughed a little. "I should introduce you to my dad. He would admire your tenacity." She brightened at the thought of meeting his dad who could make her career as Camille had said and the fact that he wanted her to meet his family already.

"Actually," he continued, "I was hoping to ask you if you are free next weekend. There's this event the media company is sponsoring and I thought it might be a good opportunity for you to connect with other people in the magazine industry. Normally I wouldn't go but with you as my date, I would." He flashed her a megawatt smile that made it impossible to say no, well that and she couldn't deny he had a point.

"I would love to. Thank you for asking me."

After dinner, he insisted on walking her home, draping his jacket around her as they walked. In front of her door, they lingered. She knew he was waiting for a signal and she decided to give him one.

"Thank you for dinner tonight. I had a wonderful time." She reached for his hand as she said it. Sure enough, he leaned in and kissed her. His lips softly kissed her in a way that was perfectly appropriate for a first date. They broke apart and smiled at one another.

"Goodnight, Blair. I'll see you next weekend."

Once inside, she replayed the kiss. It was certainly not a bad kiss. By all means, it was a good kiss. She just wished it would have had a bit more of an effect on her. She didn't feel a spark or butterflies the moment just before. But she reasoned she just had to get to know him better first.


	7. Chapter 7

One Saturday, Blair was sitting at her vanity doing her makeup. It was 11 AM and she had a lazy morning after a late night out at a work event. She saw Dan's name and swiped it open instantly. _Coffee?_

 _Yes, I can be ready in 30 minutes._ She was just putting the finishing touches and needed another coat of mascara.

 _Great, I'll meet you downstairs._

Blair changed out of her silk robe and into her most casual day dress, she didn't want to look like she had dressed up for him. The cotton dress was blue with ruffles cascading along the sleeves and hem with a lace trim. She paired the dress with strappy flat sandals to dress it down even more. Then, she finished the look with a pale pink Chloe Drew bag. _Perfect_ , she thought while eyeing herself in the mirror.

Since their movie night, they had begun a tradition of going out for coffees on Saturdays and watching a movie together at least once a week. It had been a month or so since the first movie night and she looked forward to it every week.

"Hey." He said as she descended the stairs.

The late spring day was warm enough for a walk so they set off for a cafe a few blocks down. Both of them ordered bagels with their coffee and took a seat at a table outside.

"So Films on the Green starts back up next week." Dan said while taking a sip of his coffee.

"I've had a reminder set. We're going, obviously." Films on the Green was what Blair looked forward to every spring. Every Friday, a classic or contemporary French film was shown and Blair adored the tradition. She loved putting on a breezy dress, packing a picnic blanket, and being transported to another era and place. Now, she wouldn't have to drag her friends along who complained about how they hated subtitles. She would have Dan which made her look forward to it more.

"Actually, Emerson asked me to go out of town with him next weekend. I told him no because of Films on the Green."

Dan laughed at this. "Wow, even Blair Waldorf will skip the Hamptons for a good movie. Great choice."

Blair nodded. "I thought so too." Her and Emerson had been dating over the past month. It was still early seeing as their first date was only 4 weeks ago but he really was eager for her to meet his parents. She didn't want to meet them too soon, though. She knew she had to time it right so as not to seem like she was using their son to further her career. Which she definitely wasn't doing. His connection was just a perk really. Besides, she was beneficial to him too since she came from an important family and her mother was well connected. It was a win-win. Even if her feelings for him still hadn't grown much.

While she did care for him and enjoy spending time with him, there was still no spark or any flutter when she thought about it. But she couldn't deny that they made sense together. They weren't official yet but she had a feeling as soon as she met his parents they would be. She had only slept with him for the first time a week ago, feeling 5 dates was an appropriate amount to make him wait. She had sort of hoped that the act would bond them and make her fall for him at last. But no such luck.

Every now and then, when she was spending time with Dan she would question it all. The way Dan made her laugh and could match her in intellectual debates made her wish she could have that with Emerson. Then, there was the way Dan made her feel. Sometimes, he would look at her in this way that made her stomach flip. But they were friends, that's all.

Finishing their bagels, Dan asked if she wanted to go see a movie now. All the talk of the upcoming screening made them both in the mood so they set off for the little independent theater they liked.

They came out of the movie around 4 PM and on their walk back to their apartment complex, they discussed. Stepping into the building, Blair asked Dan if she could check her mail.

"I haven't gone to check the mail all week." She said as she turned the key in the mailbox. Pulling out a stack of mail, a peach envelope instantly caught her eye. In the left-hand corner, she saw the van der Woodsen name in the upper left corner.

She handed Dan the stack of mail, "Can you hold this?" Then she tore open the envelope and pulled out an ivory sheet of cardstock with gold script reading

 _Ms. Lily van der Woodsen is pleased to announce the engagement of her daughter Serena van der Woodsen to Nathaniel Archibald. Please join us for a celebratory soiree on June 26th, 2015. Save the date to follow._

" _What the fuck_." Blair stood stunned, staring at the engagement announcement.

Dan eyed her with concern. "Blair, are you okay?"

She handed him the announcement. He frowned as soon as he saw it. "Oh no, I'm sorry."

She grabbed the rest of the mail from him and started marching up the stairs. Throwing open the door to her apartment, he followed her in. She dumped the mail on the table and then took the announcement back from him. She promptly threw it in the trash can. "Good for them. They deserve each other."

Dan came over and put a hand on her back. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She snapped at him and then paused. "I'm sorry." She plopped down on the couch. "It just sort of sucks? To know that he chose her after all? Even if I'm over him and have been. Especially to find out through a fucking engagement announcement sent by her mother."

Dan rubbed her back sympathetically. "That was an asshole move."

"Classic Serena, though." Blair let out a frustrated sigh. "What are you doing tonight? Will you take me to go get drunk?"

Dan laughed a little. "Sure. I think a drink or two is definitely in order."


	8. Chapter 8

"I mean, the worst part of it all is Serena, Serena, is getting married before I am." Blair was slurring and stumbling slightly as they walked into their apartment building three hours, and six or seven drinks, later. Dan put a hand on her arm to steady her. "Seriously. Serena the bohemian who slept around and stole people's boyfriends."

Dan managed to get her up the stairs without her falling. He then reached into her purse to find her keys. Letting them in, he guided her into her room. "Okay Blair, bedtime for you."

"No way!" She promptly broke free from his grip and headed into the kitchen. She went straight for the bar cart and grabbed a bottle of gin.

"I think you've had enough." The bottle was empty but Dan still took it anyways.

"Oh do you, Humphrey? Well, I don't." She grabbed the bottle back and tried to pour some into a glass. "Uh oh…"

Dan went into the kitchen and got her a glass of water. "Drink this."

Blair rolled her eyes and dutifully drank the whole glass. "Now can I have more alcohol?" She gave him a pouty look.

"No, Blair."

She gave him a haughty look and then went and sat on her tufted couch. "Will you at least hang out with me for a bit longer?"

"Yes, of course. But I think you need food. What do you have to eat?" Dan began opening cupboards trying to find something she could eat. All he found were nuts, kale chips, and cans of tomatoes. Then, he went for the fridge. Nothing there really either. "Blair, what do you eat? You have no food."

"I eat out. You know that, Humphrey."

Dan started searching the pantry again and discovered a bag of pasta. "Aha!" He checked the date and it was still good for another year. He brought a pot of water to boil and added in the noodles.

"You're such a good friend, Humphrey." Blair was behind him now, watching him make the pasta. "I don't think anyone else would put up with me."

"I don't think so either, Blair."

She laughed. "You know, I like you the most out of anyone I know. Even more than Emerson."

It was his turn to laugh now. "Sure, Blair. More than your boyfriend." He laughed and stirred the pasta and then put the spoon in the spoon rest. He turned to face her.

"I'm being serious. I really do. You're my favorite person. I mean Emerson is fine and all but you are... The person I like most." She gave him a serious look and then put her hands on his face. "You do know that right?"

"Blair, I think I would believe you if you weren't so wasted. I'm pretty sure you would say that to anyone who let you get this drunk. I didn't realize you were such a lightweight and the alcohol would hit you so hard so suddenly. I would have cut you off sooner."

Blair rolled her eyes. "You aren't being very much fun right now. You didn't drink enough."

"Someone had to be sober enough to get you home and make you dinner."

"I'm uncomfortable." Blair announced suddenly. "Unzip me." She turned her back to him and motioned towards the zipper on her black dress. He unzipped it just a bit so she could reach, then she stomped off into her bedroom. She came back shortly wearing only that button down tuxedo shirt she had worn the first morning they met.

Blair went and sat back down on the couch as Dan finished making the pasta. 5 minutes later a bowl full of noodles was placed in front of her. "I put some sauteed garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil in there. It was the best I could do with what you had."

Blair took a bite and her eyes lit up, "Humphrey, this is like the best thing I have ever eaten."

Dan laughed as he took a bite. "It's certainly not bad but I definitely wouldn't say that."

"But, it's definitely going to give me garlic breath." Blair looked at him thoughtfully. "I guess we won't be kissing tonight. That's disappointing." Blair was frowning now.

He flinched at her words. "Maybe we should put on a movie. What should we watch? Casablanca?"

He got up to turn on the TV and start the movie. Then, he grabbed a blanket and put it over her legs. As he sat back down, Blair said, "Humphrey? Why are you sitting so far away? Scoot over."

"I'm good here, Blair." He shifted a bit in his seat. He was sitting at the far end of the couch, leaving a cushion in between them.

"Ugh." Blair let out a frustrated groan. "Fine." As the opening credits appeared on screen she suddenly exclaimed, "Humphrey! Humphrey and Humphrey Bogart!" She said in an excited voice. "No wonder why you picked this movie!"

"I thought that was why you called me that."

"I guess so. I never realized it until now. At least I don't think I did." Blair looked confused for a moment and then got distracted by the movie starting.

Halfway through the movie Blair turned to him. The alcohol had worn off a little and the food and water had made her somewhat less drunk. But not so much so her inhibitions weren't lowered. "Dan?"

He turned with a surprised look. Most likely since she never used his first name. She continued, "Why didn't you ever make a move?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Didn't you like me? I liked you…" Blair trailed off and looked towards the screen for a moment, waiting for his reply.

He let out a breath. "Blair, let's not talk about this now. You're drunk."

"Not really anymore."

"Yes, you are. Not as drunk but drunk enough that I don't want to talk about this now."

"Then when?"

"When you're sober but I'm fairly certain when you're sober you'll realize the conversation is a bad idea." He didn't look at her as he spoke, he kept his eyes on the screen.

"Why is it a bad idea?"

"Can we just watch the movie, Blair?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Sharing two new chapters since it's the weekend plus this first one is fairly short. I hope you all are still enjoying the story! Thanks for reading :)**

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The next morning, Blair awoke with a hangover less bad than she thought she would. She fell asleep during the movie and then Dan had woken her up so she could get ready for bed and to say goodbye. She remembered him tucking her in and everything.

Then, she remembered. _Oh no_ , she recalled telling him how she liked him and wanted him to make a move. Or at least implying it. Ugh, how embarrassing. She would have to avoid him today. Maybe for the rest of the week. Why had she drunk that much? The engagement announcement. It was all coming back to her now. Serena and Nate getting married. Okay, her hangover was definitely worse now.

She groaned and then fell back asleep.

That night, Emerson called her. She told him she was sick and skipped over the whole story of getting drunk last night and Serena and Nate's engagement. He said he wanted her to come to dinner at his parent's house next weekend. She agreed, deciding she couldn't keep him waiting.

So the next Saturday night she found herself sitting primly at the Sinclair home. She had worn a cardigan, Kate Spade white dress with a pale pink bow, and pale pink pumps to match. Her look was demure which she knew parents always loved.

Emerson was right, her parents warmed to her instantly. They especially loved her career choice and made more than a few hints about how easily they could speed up Blair's career path. It gave her a glimmer of hope that within a few months, she could be coordinating spreads and shoots herself.

She could already see how easy life would be with Emerson. It would be like the life she had planned with Nate. Merging two well-bred families and creating a golden future. Paving the way for future generations to lead the same privileged lives. Opportunities would always be at the doorstep and connections would abound. It was so tempting. It was a second chance at the future she had dreamed of growing up. The future _Serena_ had stolen for her.

Yet, she didn't feel the yearn or ache for it as she should.


	10. Chapter 10

**This particular chapter is inspired by one of my favorite scenes in Breakfast at Tiffany's :) Hope you all like my take on it!**

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The next day Blair knocked on Dan's door with coffee in hand. "I have come to atone for my absurd drunken behavior last weekend. Forgive me?"

His eyes were sympathetic as he took the coffee from her. "There's no need for forgiveness, I'm not mad at you." He smiled and then added, "Come in."

"Oh." She said with wide eyes and then followed him in. "What are you up to today?" Blair said looking around. She noticed a huge stack of papers, probably a manuscript.

"I was actually going to come find you to tell you some good news. A short story I wrote just got published!" He pulled a crisp check out of his pocket. "They even paid for it, 200 dollars."

"Wow, Dan that's amazing. How should we celebrate?" Blair's eyes flickered with an idea. "Champagne! Forget the coffee. I have a bottle in the fridge in my apartment I think."

Dan looked pensive, "Do you think it's too early? I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast." After observing Blair's horrified face he added, "Mimosas aren't a very Brooklyn thing Blair."

She nodded with sudden seriousness and understanding. "Well, we will have to change that. Come on."

In her apartment, Dan retrieved the bottle of champagne. Blair stood back and looked afraid. "I hate opening the bottle, it's scary."

Dan laughed and popped it open as a stream of champagne started pouring out. Blair looked horrified at first but then quickly changed to amused. They both laughed as they tried to clean up the mess.

"I have an idea, Humphrey."

"What's your idea?" Dan poured them each a glass of champagne and then turned to face her.

"Let's spend the whole day doing things we've never done before. Within reason of course." She quickly added. "Like, I don't plan on going to Brooklyn just because I've never been before. But other things that would be fun."

"You and your hatred of Brooklyn, why am I friends with you again?"

"Oh, I can think of a number of reasons." Blair said with a mischievous smile as she sipped her champagne.

"So what's first? What's something you've never done before?"

Blair thought about it and then said with a nervous tone, "I've never ridden the subway."

Dan's eyes widened. "Never? You're a New Yorker, how is that possible?"

"It's full of full of mole men and middle-class professionals." Blair wrinkled her nose. "But it's the first thing that came to mind."

"Okay, then we are riding the subway."

Blair groaned, "Why did I say that? I'm going to need more of this." Blair poured herself another glass of champagne and Dan laughed.

"First time for everything Waldorf."

"Let's hope I make it out of the subway alive. Or at least without contracting tetanus or some other horrid disease."

After finishing their champagne, Dan and Blair set off for the subway station. She wore a reddish-orange coat over her shift dress and finished the look with slingback pumps. "Where are we taking it to?"

"That part will be a surprise."

"I don't know if I like that idea." Blair looked skeptical.

"Oh you will. You will definitely like where we are going."

After boarding the subway, Blair pulled out a bottle of hand sanitizer spray and sprayed her hands 3 times while Dan looked at her and rolled his eyes. "You are so ridiculous."

"Hands?" When he didn't stick his hands out, Blair reached for them and then sprayed them.

He laughed and played along, rubbing his hands together to spread the sanitizer. The whole ride on the subway, Blair looked trepidacious. She wouldn't sit or touch anything so when it came to a stop, she slammed into Dan. Her head hit just below his jaw and she could smell his scent and almost breathed him in. Then, she remembered herself and quickly pulled back and smoothed out her clothes. "Watch it, Humphrey."

"You ran into me! You're lucky too, you would have fallen on your face had it not been for me."

She just pouted on him and then asked, "How many more stops?"

"Just a few. Next time it stops, hold onto my arm at least so you don't almost fall again."

Three stops later, Dan instructed Blair it was finally time to get off. Walking up the steps, she held her breath anxious to see where he had taken her. Then she saw it, the robin's egg blue of Tiffany's windows. Her eyes widened with delight.

"I told you that you would like where we were headed."

Blair nodded and grabbed him by the arm, leading him towards her favorite place.

"I've never been and you always talk it up so I figure it was time."

As they walked in Blair asked Dan, "Isn't it magical here?"

Dan nodded and said, "They do have good lighting."

Blair rolled her eyes at his observation. They strolled about the store pausing to look at the shimmering jewels in the glass cases. Then, Dan pulled the check from his pocket and said, "I want to get you something."

"What? No Humphrey. I couldn't let you do that. Not with that check either."

"I insist. It will complete by Tiffany's experience. I can't just walk in and then count that as something I've never done. I have to buy something, for you." He said it with such sincerity it was hard to say no.

"Fine but no more than 50 dollars." After seeing Dan start to protest she added, "75 at most."

"Deal." Dan and Blair strode around some more with him eyeing each and every case. Finally, he said, "Go away for a minute. I know what I'm getting you and I want it to be a surprise."

She sighed and strode off to the far side of the store. After 10 or so minutes, he returned and said "75 exactly. It's not ready yet but it will be in a week."

"It's not ready yet?" Blair was perplexed.

"It's not ready yet." Dan repeated, simply. "Your turn. What's next?"

"Fine… Let me think." As they walked down the street she looked around for ideas. Spotting a bar, a classy one at that, she knew what was next. "I've never been to a dive bar. Like one with a pool table and cheap drinks."

Dan laughed, "Of course you haven't. Only 5-star spots for Blair Waldorf." His tone was playful and light. "Come on, I know the perfect place."

Exiting the subway again, Dan said, "See you're a pro now at it."

Blair was spraying herself furiously with sanitizer again. "I guess it's not that bad."

After a short walk, they arrived in front of a brick building with a neon sign. It was late morning but it was open already.

"My dad and his band used to play at this bar. It's perfect." Dan said as they walked in the dimly lit bar. There was one bartender and only one patron seated at the far end of the bar. Blair took a seat next to Dan and eyed the place suspiciously. "What do you think?"

"Where's the cocktail menu?"

Dan gave a hearty chuckle. "Blair there are no cocktails here. At least, none like you're used to."

Blair gave him an incredulous look and then relented. "Fine. I'll have a gin and tonic."

After finishing their drinks, Dan led Blair over to the game area. "Darts or pool?"

"Definitely darts. I don't need a cliche pool lesson from you where you stand behind me and whisper in my ear how to shoot."

"Darts it is then."

Dan retrieved a set of darts from the board and handed them to Blair. "You good?"

Blair simply raised her eyebrows at him and turned to face the dart board. Throwing it hard and with purpose, she narrowly missed the bullseye.

Dan turned and looked at her with obvious surprise. "You almost hit the target. Beginners luck?"

"Let's find out." Blair threw another dart and hit close to the center again. "I guess not. My strategy is working."

"What's your strategy?"

"I just picture Serena's face on the board." Blair said with a wicked smile. In return, Dan took a few steps back and laughed. After throwing a few more times, Blair retrieved the darts and handed them to Dan.

They ordered another round of drinks and played more darts. Blair was competitive and managed to hit the bullseye one more time than Dan. Dan even convinced her to eat fries he ordered which he finally obliged after putting up a fight. She had to admit she had been starving and drinking on an empty stomach wasn't a good idea.

"That was really enjoyable, Humphrey." Blair said after they exited a little over an hour later.

"See Brooklyn isn't so bad." Dan said with a playful nudge.

It was late afternoon now and they were walking around aimlessly. Blair didn't want the day to end yet. "What now?"

After thinking for a while, Dan finally spoke. "Let's head back."

Blair's face fell instantly. "Already?"

"Wow Blair, didn't realize you had fallen in love with Brooklyn." She flinched a little at his words.

Then he added, "We are heading back to do the next thing I've never done before. I'm also pretty sure you haven't done this either so it'll be for both of us."

"What is it?" Blair said as the walked into the subway station.

"It's a surprise."

"Too many surprises today." Blair sighed in anticipation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for the reviews! I'm so glad you readers are still enjoying the story :) This is a short and sweet chapter for now! More to come this week!**

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After returning to Manhattan, they stopped at a grocery store near their apartments. Blair furrowed her brows at Dan and he said, "Just for a few items."

They ended up buying more than a few items and Blair was beginning to suspect what the next to-do was. He had placed a bottle of wine in the basket along with prepared fruit, salad, and a box of macarons.

"A picnic." Blair said with delight at last.

"Not a picnic. Sort of a picnic but not exactly. You'll see."

Dan led her back to the apartment carrying their groceries. He stopped in his apartment to grab a couple of blankets. Then, he led them back to the stairs and headed up which confused Blair. Reaching the top floor, she spotted a ladder leading up to a hatch opening. "No way."

"Come on, it'll be fun." Dan said trying to nudge her towards the ladder. He sighed and then said, "I'll go up first."

Once he was up top and the groceries set aside on the roof, he reached down for her hand. She finally started climbing up after taking off her shoes. He pulled her up and she finally saw what he had brought her up to see. The rooftop had an incredible view of the whole city. The skyscrapers shimmered off in the distance with sunlight. She could see all around their neighborhood, so much of which she realized she had never seen before.

They both took in the view of the city which was glimmering in the glow of the hazy sunlight. Dan spread out a blanket for them and then put the food on the blanket. "What do you think?"

Blair looked at him with her doe eyes sparkling, "It's amazing." She let out a breath of contentment. "I've never been up here."

"Me neither." Dan smiled and handed her a glass of wine.

They both enjoyed the views as they snacked and drank their wine. After eating a few macarons each, Blair turned to Dan. "I never thought the day I rode the subway would turn out to be the best day of my life." She saw Dan's face register in surprise and added, "I mean, obviously, it's not _because_ I rode the subway more so in spite of it. Anyways, you know what I mean. Today has been perfect."

Dan looked at her in a wistful way and then said, "It really has."

Blair's eyes trailed down to Dan's lips which had a slight smile to them. The flutters she felt around Dan had only increased today, especially after coming up here. It was the most romantic place anyone had ever taken her, even if he didn't intend it to be. So feeling a bit tipsy and emboldened by the wine, Blair started to lean in towards him, hoping she hadn't misread the situation. In an instant, his lips were on hers. She felt herself sigh at the relief that he had kissed her back. His hand crept up to her hair and they deepened their kiss. After what felt like eternity Blair pushed Dan back on the blanket. She took off her coat as Dan broke away. His eyes asked the question he didn't need to speak. Blair gave a tiny nod and started unbuttoning his shirt. Then, they were pressed back together and kissed with urgency.

A little while later, they finally broke apart and lay under the blanket. The sun was setting now and the sky was streaked with pink. Blair nuzzled her head into his neck and Dan kissed her on top of her head.

In that moment, Blair felt as though they were the only two people in the world and she was certain she had never been happier.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, clarity and regret flooded Blair. She had cheated on Emerson. Even if it was still a new relationship, it was wrong. That wasn't her at all. Especially not given how badly it hurt when she found out about Nate and Serena. So the whole week she debated telling Emerson and settled on not telling him. She felt like a horrible person and knew she would if she told him or not. She didn't want to cause him that same, impacting pain she had felt.

It was an impetuous decision made in the heat of the moment, that was all. She got caught up in the magic of the day with Dan and gave in. It would only hurt Emerson to find out. He had been too sweet for her to do that. She had come home on Monday to see peonies on her doorstep, there was no note but she knew that he had done it to be romantic.

The problem she was still working out was Dan. Obviously it would be foolish to continue their friendship after what had happened. She couldn't be around him if that was what would happen. She had no idea though how to. She decided for now, she would play it cool. He hadn't brought up what happened so he certainly must feel the same way about how reckless it was. She actually hadn't even seen him since then and it was almost one week exactly. _He must really regret it_ , she thought.

On Sunday though, their was a knock on her door. Dan.

"Hey, coffee?" He said breezily with an easy smile. "It's Sunday."

"Oh." She was dumbstruck by his sudden appearance. She had forgotten all about their coffee routine. "I guess."

He looked at her quizzically and then brushed it off. "Ready?"

"Sure." Blair stepped into her apartment again to get her bag.

"How are you?" She said while swaying slightly.

"Well, you? I didn't hear from you all week."

She nodded and then said, "I'm well too."

She looked down at the ground as they walked. She knew sleeping together had ruined their friendship. She couldn't even make conversation with him. But Dan pressed on asking about her week, telling her about his, it was like nothing had happened. She was completely confused.

Then, at the coffee shop he sat closer to her than usual and brushed against her so many times she was positive it couldn't be unintentional. After they were done drinking their coffees, she had enough. Her whole body was jittery from the caffeine and nerves from being around him. There was another reason too, she was finding it hard not to flashback to last Sunday. He looked so cute in his wrinkled chambray shirt and smiling easily. It made her want to…

"Blair?" His voice broke her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Did you want to go do something? Movies? Museum?"

"I need to get back."

"Oh, okay then. I guess next Sunday then."

"Right." Blair nodded and rose from the table. She walked fast back towards the complex and she could tell Dan could barely keep up with her quick stride.

"Dan, I'm sorry." Blair said as they reached her apartment after the reached her floor in the complex. She was unable to take the tension anymore.

Dan looked confused and taken aback. "Dan? What's wrong? You never use my name? What are you apologizing for?" He let out a little laugh.

She just stared at him and started to open her mouth but closed it again. "Nothing, never mind." Then she darted into her apartment and closed the door behind her, breathless.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for sticking with the story! All of your reviews are so encouraging so thank you!**

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After work on Wednesday, Blair saw a text on her phone from Dan. _What movie are we watching tonight?_

Blair's fingers hovered over the keyboard thinking of what to say. She wasn't sure she could endure the tension again, especially for over 2 hours.

 _I'm working late tonight. Sorry._ She sent it before she could change her mind.

 _Tomorrow night, then?_ He was relentless and clearly undefeated by her putting him off.

 _I'll let you know._

Afterward, she needed a distraction from the exchange. She called Emerson and told him she wanted to bring him over dinner which he quickly agreed to. She was relieved to be in easy company as they chatted over dinner and sat lazily on the couch watching TV. She sighed into him and reassured herself she had made the right decision.

Blair dodged Dan's next attempt at their movie night the same way as the night before. This time, he didn't ask to do another night. At least, he had taken the hint. But she couldn't help but feel disappointed by him giving up. She reminded herself that was what she wanted. To avoid the tension and temptation. Blair decided a relaxing night was exactly what she needed. Instead of going out to some party or event tomorrow night, she would stay home and watch one of her favorite movies. Alone.

So when she heard a knock Friday at 8 right when she had just started An Affair To Remember she couldn't help but feel a flicker of annoyance. Most likely, it would be Emerson trying to be sweet by stopping by with flowers and he would end up staying over as he often did. The thought didn't exactly excite her.

The door flew open to reveal Dan instead of Emerson. His eyes immediately darted to the movie on her TV in the living room. While his eyes were fixed on it, she took a moment to observe him.

He looked… pissed.

"Humphrey, can I help you?"

"I thought you were too busy for movies." He said as he broke his eyes away from the television. The irritation was evident in his voice.

She faltered, unsure of how to respond. Dodging him had clearly had an impact and this was the kicker. She felt a twinge of regret at the thought she had hurt him. She sighed instead of saying anything.

He pushed her door open and strode in, closing it behind him. "What's going on Blair? Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you!" She said quickly.

"Then why cancel on me twice in a row without even making an attempt to reschedule. Plus, you were weird last week when we got coffee. You were… distant."

The tension was bubbling again quickly. Just being in his presence now flustered her. "Honestly, I have a lot going on. Work and Emerson."

"Emerson." Dan repeated.

Blair nodded. "He is my boyfriend in case you forgot."

Dan looked frustrated, "I'm aware of that Blair." She thought she saw something else flash in his eyes for a fleeting moment. "So you didn't tell him? About the other day?"

Blair reeled with his accusatory tone. "No, I didn't tell him." She used her most cutting tone. "In fact, I met his parents recently and he's eager to you know, move along with our relationship. Settle down. It's a lot to handle on top of a job."

"Settle down?" Dan looked completely shocked.

"Don't act so surprised Dan. We've been dating for a few months now. He's nearly 30, he's not looking to play the field anymore." She was hesitant but then added. "After dinner with his family, he made it clear he's ready to marry me."

"He proposed?"

Blair laughed. "No, he didn't propose."

"But he told you he wants to marry you." Dan asked in a serious tone while looking her into her doe-shaped eyes. Then he added, "Do you love him? Because he must think so to be talking like that. But just a couple of weeks ago you were telling me you didn't even like him very much. Oh and don't forget you slept with someone other than him."

"That's not true. Of course, I like him." Blair said in a defensive tone. She chose to ignore the last part of his sentence.

"Do you love him?" Dan repeated, not moving.

Blair broke eye contact and looked at the floor. "I don't know. I told him I needed to think it over. I guess I don't have a reason not to be with him, though. Besides, he's good for me. He could give me the life I always dreamed of." She feigned a smile.

"What about us?"

"What about us Dan? Like you said a few weekends ago, there's nothing to discuss."

Dan sighed in exasperation. "I said that because you were drunk and I didn't want to talk about it _then_. It didn't mean never. Obviously." He started pacing around a bit and then said suddenly, "I need to go."

Blair looked at him incredulously. "You need to go? Now? I thought you came over here to talk because I was 'avoiding you'."

"Honestly Blair I can't believe you. You'd contemplate marrying someone you don't even love? Someone you cheated on?"

She was mad now. "What right do you have to judge that?" She felt anger rise up, "You're such a hypocrite. I tried to talk to you about us before sleeping with you and you wouldn't have it. You chose too to sleep with me, you knew I was in a relationship. But now you place your judgment on me? You had your chance to prevent that from happening and you missed it."

"I didn't want to get into that on the night you find out your ex-boyfriend is engaged. You were upset and wanted company. What? I'm supposed to tell you that I do have feelings for you when you'll probably wake up and go back to your boyfriend. That didn't sound so great to me. You said yourself, he would make your family happy, his family would be happy. You would probably be an editor within a few years. If you really wanted me, you wouldn't have kept seeing him. I don't want to be your last act of rebellion before you settle down. But I guess it looks like it'll turn out that way"

Blair shot him a warning look. "Fine Dan. Thanks for being such a good friend. You think since you're from Brooklyn you have so much more depth than I do. I'm just some shallow society girl that could never care about anyone more than her career." Blair's voice was rising and she felt herself grow colder told him.

"Am I wrong?"

"What does it matter?" Blair turned her back to him and a few moments later heard the door close. He was gone. His answer was clear.


	14. Chapter 14

**I hope you all liked the last chapter! I tried to incorporate Holly's flightiness into Blair and the fight between them was inspired by the library scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's! So hope that came across well! Thanks for reading :)**

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The next few days were a blur of anger, sadness, and regret. Blair felt such a wide range of emotion about what had happened with Dan. Part of her wanted to go tell him she was sorry and she wanted him, not Emerson. But then she remembered how he looked at her and how harsh his judgment was. She had been so confused, she thought being with Emerson was the right thing. Dan hadn't even made it clear he wanted a relationship or something more with her after they slept together. These thoughts swirled in her mind every day. For being neighbors, it was a wonder she didn't run into him over the course of the week since it had all transpired. She didn't know how she would react if she saw him. Or how he would react.

So Blair decided she would keep up the charade of being a happy girlfriend to Emerson. On weekends they would go out to dinner and he would call her every single day. All the while Blair would try to force herself to feel happy. She had the perfect boyfriend, one all of her friends were so envious of. Literally, every time they saw her they told her as much. She just wished she could feel it and she tried to push away the pang she felt every time she thought of Dan. The hope that she would run into him in the hallway and he would apologize for everything.

It was sad, really. She took extra caution before leaving her apartment or returning home to make sure she looked perfect, just in case she saw him. She couldn't have him seeing her looking on the outside as she did on the inside.

If she was being honest with herself she knew that the reason she didn't tell Dan how she really felt was for fear of being hurt again. She had followed her heart before, planned her whole life around someone and it ended in betrayal. If she allowed herself to choose Dan, envision a future with him, it would hurt so much more than it had to lose Nate. Because Dan and her both obviously had such a strong connection. It seemed like it at least. She felt so much more for him than she had with Nate. There was more than just young love like with Nate. There was the foundation of friendship and it had grown from there which somehow made her feel even more for him. Feelings that were scarily like love.

Emerson though, she admired him. They would form a good partnership and their relationship would grow. Plus, he could never truly hurt her. Like Dan already had.

But that night when she saw Emerson, clarity hit her. She was so tired of it all. Battling with her thoughts every day. Pushing out the thoughts of Dan and trying to train her mind to focus on Emerson instead.

After kissing her on the cheek, Emerson asked, "Ready to go?"

They were supposed to go to dinner at some fancy restaurant Emerson had chosen. Something she normally would have found really romantic. But seeing him and feeling absolutely nothing, she faltered.

Before she could stop herself, Blair said, "No, actually. Could we talk?"

Emerson looked perplexed but nodded. "What's wrong?"

Blair hesitated before saying, "I think we should breakup."

Emerson looked gobsmacked. "What? What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry. I just feel like this is unfair to you. I've been misleading you."

"Misleading me how?"

"I don't think I feel the same way about you as you do about me."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. I'm not in a real rush, Blair. I know some people take longer to develop feelings." Emerson smiled, "It doesn't mean we have to break up."

"Yes, we do. I know I won't feel the same way about you. You told me you want to settle down soon and I can't see that happening for us. I want to want that but I don't. I'm so sorry." Blair pleaded with him to accept the breakup.

There was silence for a while before Emerson finally spoke. "You really don't feel like you could fall in love with me? Ever?

Blair shook her head, feeling guilty tears well in her eyes. "You're so perfect and I really wish I did."

Emerson nodded and then said, "Right. Then I guess I'll cancel the reservations and leave."

"I'm sorry." Blair added again. She tried to search his face for any sign of what he was thinking. There was still a faint trace of disbelief on his face.

"Goodbye, Blair." Emerson kissed her on the cheek and then headed out the door. As he left, Blair felt herself exhale the weight of the guilt she had been carrying around.


	15. Chapter 15

**So sorry for the delay in updates! I have the rest of the story written but it wasn't edited. I just now have gotten a chance to edit so alas here is another chapter. You can expect another update over the weekend as well :)**

 **So this chapter is a bit different from the rest. I decided the story needed some non-relationship plot so we are getting a look at Blair's job but there is still some Dair sprinkled in so don't worry!**

 **Thanks so much for sticking with the story!**

* * *

In the morning, Blair momentarily wondered if she had made a mistake. But feeling so much less troubled today was reassurance that she had done the right thing. And that it had nothing to do with Dan who she still hadn't seen.

At work, Blair expected another routine day which would be a much-needed reprieve from all the drama in her life. They were shooting a feature on an up and coming starlet and she was in charge of delivering the wardrobe. It had been 12 days since she had last seen Dan and the fact kept circulating in her mind.

The photoshoot was supposed to start at 1 PM and go until 3 PM. So at 12:30 Blair collected the garments for the shoot from wardrobe and sent them down into the van that would deliver them to the shoot. At precisely 1 PM she arrived at the shoot and wheeled up all the garments. Her editor, Ophelia, looked expectantly at her. Ophelia was quite severe. Her dark hair was styled in a blunt bob and she wore a dark lipstick and winged eyeliner.

"Wardrobe is here." Blair chirped as she walked in wheeling the racks beside her.

Ophelia strode over and breathed a sigh. "Finally, Blair I thought you would be here fifteen minutes earlier."

Ophelia started unzipping the garment bags and her face began to fall in a frown. "Blair, what are these?"

"The clothes for the shoot." Blair was perplexed.

"This is not the right garment rack. Do you see the tags? It's clearly labeled May 2016 Fashion Feature. Not May 2016 Rising Stars." Ophelia was now swiping each bag along the rack and looked furious.

"Oh." Blair wasn't sure what to say. She scrambled to think. "I'll head back right now. I'll go get them. It'll only take 15 minutes."

"15 minutes to get there, 15 minutes to load them, 15 minutes to get back here. Do you realize that we are paying per hour, Blair? You just cost the magazine an extra hour. Plus, must I remind you actresses don't like to be kept waiting? I might as well get an intern to do it. With the level of competence you've shown today I should have asked one originally."

Ophelia strode off furiously tapping at her phone. Blair sighed in defeat. Her distraction had caught up to her now at work. She knew the consuming thoughts that revolved around Dan and Emerson would catch up to her. It may very well cost her career. Feeling helpless, Blair started rezipping the garment bags and taking them back down to the vans. As she was ready to wheel out the last rack, Ophelia stopped her.

"Don't bother coming back here Blair after taking those back to the office. Stay there and finish your work. I'll expect you in my office first thing tomorrow morning."

Blair nodded, unable to say anything. It was official. She was most likely going to be fired.

After finishing up the afternoon at the office, Blair couldn't help but let all of her mixed feelings and failure overwhelm her as she walked home. She felt her eyes prick with the beginning sting of tears. She was approaching her block and reminded herself she was far too respectable to be crying in the streets of the city. When she was home she would let herself wallow in her failures.

Pushing open the door to the complex, Blair blinked back the tears. Blair began marching up the stairs and then she stopped on the third step down from the landing. It was Dan. Now of all times.

He flinched at the sight of her and hesitated for a moment. She let out a breath and continued up the stairs, determined to not let the sight of him faze her.

"Blair." Dan said in an icy tone that showed he was still mad at her.

"Dan." Blair said in an equally icy tone, steeling herself.

He paused to study her face and frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

Blair was caught off guard. "Nothing is wrong. You're in my way." Blair tried to push past him but he caught her by the arm.

His expression softened in spite of her pushing at him. "Have you been crying?"

"No." Blair said in a curt tone, finally breaking free from him. She started up the last flight of stairs as she heard him follow. Reaching her door, she continued to ignore him as she unlocked the door.

"Blair, I can tell you're upset and you've been crying. Your eyes are all red and you look sort of… blotchy."

"I am not blotchy! If my eyes are red, it's probably just allergies. Stop pestering me. I've had a really shitty day and I don't need you nagging me. Or feigning concern for me." Blair was inside her apartment now with a hand on the door, ready to close it.

The last remark seemed to hit him and he looked taken aback. "Feigning concern? Of course, I'd be concerned about you."

"Oh really?" Blair's tone was cutting. "Is that why you decided to lecture me on the morality of my actions and make me feel like the most insensitive and shallow person in the world?"

Dan took a tentative step towards her, his expression remorseful. "Can I come in?"

Blair tightened her grip on the door. "No."

"Please, Blair. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. Can I explain?"

Blair sighed in frustration and released her grip on the door. Dan stepped in and closed the door behind him. Blair set her bag down and then turned back to face him.

"As I said before, I already had a bad day so I don't need any more lectures from you."

Dan took a step towards her. "I just want to see how you are. I…" Dan hesitates and runs a hand over his face. "I've missed you."

"Oh." Blair feels dumbstruck. "You did?"

Dan nodded. "So what's wrong? What happened?"

Blair sighed and sat down on the couch. Dan followed suit and sat beside her. He looked expectantly at her.

"I'll probably be fired from my job tomorrow."

"Why?"

"I delivered the wrong clothes to the photoshoot we had today so the whole thing got set back an hour and my boss sent an intern to fix my mistake. _An intern_." She looked at him with dismay on her face.

Dan frowned. "They can't fire you just for that right?"

"I don't know. Probably."

In a low voice, Dan said, "Well it's probably nothing Emerson can't fix."

"Huh?" Blair said in confusion.

"Doesn't his dad own the magazine or something?"

Blair shook her head. "No, not the magazine I work at. Besides, we broke up"

Dan's unreadable expression turned to surprise. "You broke up?"

Blair nodded and then leaned back into the couch.

Dan was silent. Blair started picking at a stray thread at the hem of her skirt trying to distract herself from the awkwardness of the silent. It seemed like he was waiting for her to elaborate but she didn't know what to say. She had too much pride to make him think it was because of him and their last conversation. Besides, it hadn't been that.

Finally, Dan asked, "Why?"

"It wasn't working." Blair stated blandly. Then she added, "Plus, I don't need a man to make my career. I can't believe I ever let his family persuade me that I should consider letting them put in a good word for me at some of their magazines. I've worked too hard in the past to start taking shortcuts now."

"That makes sense." They were silent again for a moment and then Dan said, "I should probably get going. Will you be alright?"

Blair nodded noting his unreadable expression and then said, "Thank you. For being so nice, you didn't have to do that. I mean, I didn't really deserve it after…" She trailed off and looked down.

"Of course." Dan started to get up but then added, "I'm sorry if I was harsh before. I really do miss your friendship."

Blair noted the pause between the 'miss' and 'your' and considered for a moment. "I do too."


	16. Chapter 16

**So hope you all didn't mind the diversion into a work-centric chapter :) This one is half work-related and then strictly Dair-centric from there. Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

The dreaded meeting with Ophelia arrived the next day and Blair was incredibly anxious. Once she stepped in, Ophelia instructed her to sit down.

"Blair, I was very disappointed in you yesterday." Ophelia started, her blue eyes piercing Blair's.

"I'm very sorry. I deeply regret my mistake. I would really like the opportunity to prove myself and that I am a dedicated team member. I can promise you if you just give me the chance, I can prove myself."

Ophelia nodded. "I wasn't planning on firing you, Blair. Unless it happens again. I called you in though to see what's going on. Your review is in a couple of months and we were considering promoting you. But after yesterday, I'm having doubts."

Blair lightened at hearing she wasn't getting fired. She was flooded with relief. But she noted that clearly, she was on thin ice.

"What's going on with you lately, Blair?"

Blair sighed. "I've had a lot going on in my personal life and unfortunately I let it cloud my mind at work. But I've straightened it all out and it won't happen again." Blair gave a reassuring look.

Ophelia nodded. "Okay, I'll trust that it won't."

After being excused from her office, Blair returned to her desk with a newfound sense of purpose. She would work extra hard to prove that she was still worth promoting. She also was glad she had broken up with Emerson since now she wouldn't have that guilt distracting her anymore.

On her way home from work, she stopped to pick up a bottle of rose. She figured she deserved it after the stressful week she had. She could feel a slight smile on her face as she strode up the stairs and into her apartment. She set off for the kitchen right away to pour herself a glass of wine. As she poured, she heard a knock. Wine glass still in hand, she headed to the door.

The door opened to reveal Dan, looking handsome in a grey oxford shirt and jeans. "Hi."

"Hi." Blair said somewhat nervously. She was uncertain of his motive for stopping by, unannounced.

"I just wanted to see… How your meeting with your boss went?" His eyes trailed down to the glass of wine. "Is that a wallowing glass of wine or wash of relief glass of wine?"

Blair laughed, "Relief. I didn't get fired."

Dan smiled, "That's great news. I knew they couldn't fire you. I mean, even if they tried I feel like you could persuade them not to."

"I'm glad I didn't have to." Blair couldn't help but wonder if this meant they were friends again. He had come by just to see her and ask what happened. That was a good sign right? She felt a flutter at the possibility and then pushed it aside.

"So what are you up to?" She ventured.

"Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie. If you had gotten fired I was thinking The Devil Wears Prada but since you didn't, maybe something else?"

Blair laughed and nodded. "Come in?" She opened the door wider for him.

Dan followed in and Blair felt happiness fill her. It felt so good to be in his company again. Without all the tension there had been last night. "You really would have watched The Devil Wears Prada? It doesn't really seem like your type of movie?"

"For you, I would have."

Dan's words filled Blair with a little glow. She pushed it aside, telling herself it didn't mean anything. Dan probably just meant it as a neighborly thing. She poured him a glass of wine and handed it to him. "So what should we watch instead?"

"How about North by Northwest?"

"Perfect," Blair agreed and sat down next to him on the couch. But instead of starting the movie right away, she took the opportunity to find out what he had been doing lately. She was still very curious to find out how she hadn't seen him for nearly two weeks. But his answer didn't explain it, he just said he had been writing and that was all really.

"I guess I already know what you've been doing. Have you been okay though?"

Blair gave a reassuring smile, "I have been. I've been really well actually." After a moment she added, "Even better now that you're here."

Dan gave her a warm smile which warmed her a bit. Then, she finally turned on the movie.


	17. Chapter 17

The past couple of weeks had Blair feeling like things with Dan were back to normal. They had coffee and a movie night at least once a week. It was nice having his friendship back. She had really missed him. But she kept feeling this weird tension every time they hung out. Like there were unsaid things between them.

She wasn't going to bring it up though. She still felt like their rekindled friendship was tentative and she didn't want to be the one to mess it up. She was certain he was happy with the way things were. So she continued on with their routine trying to be content with the platonic state of the union.

One night, Blair was in Dan's living room searching for the remote. It was another movie night and they had decided on watching Amelie.

Blair sighed in exasperation. She had been searching for the remote for what felt like an eternity. "Humphrey, I'm telling you. The remote _isn't_ out here."

He was in the kitchen pouring them wine and getting snacks ready. He had insisted the remote was in the living room but she had searched everywhere. Eyeing the coffee table for the final time before storming into the kitchen as she planned, she noticed a drawer in the center and her eyes lit up with anticipation. As a last resort, she would check the drawer. Then she could accurately report to Dan that she had checked every inch of his living room.

Pulling open the drawer and expecting to find it empty, her eyes registered in surprise. It wasn't empty at all. Her gaze immediately fell upon a robin's egg blue box. Her breath caught at the sight and she tentatively reached for it. She really shouldn't be spying on him but she had to know. _Why did Dan have a Tiffany's box in his coffee table drawer?_ Flipping it over a few times, curiosity got the best of her and she opened it. She had to know what was in the box.

She slowly pried it open to reveal a tiny silver heart shaped charm. She ran her fingers over the smooth metal. Then she felt something at the back. She removed it from the box and flipped it over. Engraved on the back were the words, _My favorite person._

Blair's stomach flipped at the sight. There was no mistaking who it was meant for. That was what she had told him that night she had too much to drink. She was still staring at it when she heard footsteps approaching. Still holding the charm in her hand, she turned to face him with wide, questioning eyes.

At first, he looked at her with a quizzical expression. "What's wrong, Blair?" Then his eyes fell to the flash of silver between her fingers.

"Oh." He said simply, not moving from where he stood.

Blair stared at him, waiting for him to say more. But he stayed silent seemingly paralyzed with shock. Finally, Blair asked what she already knew, "Is this what you got that day at Tiffany's?"

Dan broke eye contact and looked at the ground. "Yes." His eyes lifted back to hers.

There was a pause and then Blair asked the next thing she needed to know, "The engraving, did you mean it? Was I really your favorite person?"

"You were."

Blair noticed the past tense and then nodded. "Right."

Blair waited for Dan to say something, to add more, to correct the mistake in using the past tense. But he just remained silent. Too long had passed for there to be hoping for more. At last, Blair recomposed herself and slipped the charm back into the box. She put the box back into the drawer and then closed it.

Smiling brightly Blair said, "I never found the remote. Maybe movie night wasn't meant to be tonight."

Dan's brow furrowed, "You don't want to watch Amelie anymore?"

"I'm actually really tired. Let's watch next week." She gave him another smile and picked up her coat from where it hung on the coat rack.

"Oh, alright. Well, goodnight Blair." Dan's face looked fallen for a moment until he set it back into a warm expression.

"Goodnight."

Blair walked down the hallway and descended the stairs quickly. Flinging open the door to her apartment, she let out a breath of relief. Then, the tears she had been suppressing sprang to her eyes.

 _You were._

She was so crestfallen at the words he had chosen. The words he had clearly intended. Even though there hadn't been any signs things were headed towards a romantic place since that night on the roof, she had been hoping. And the finality of the past tense had sealed that she had completely ruined any chance she once had with him.

Blair wasn't sure what to do with herself now. She was overwhelmed with thoughts about what could have been. If she had just told Dan how she really felt instead of fighting with him that night. Or if she would have never dated Emerson and just admitted she had feelings for him instead of ignoring them. There were so many ways in which she could have prevented things from ending up where they were now.

So many chances she had missed at getting the person she wanted most. Blair felt the hotness return to her eyes and hastily swiped at her eyes. Then, she headed into the kitchen and pour herself gin, straight. Finishing the small glassful, she poured more and gulped that down too. The burn of the alcohol was what she needed. It was like it edged out the sting out Dan's words.

Figuring that was enough for now, she stalked off to the couch and sank down. Just seconds later though, she heard a soft tapping at the door. Confused, Blair headed to the door.

Opening the door cautiously, Blair peered out to see who it was. Her breath caught at she saw Dan, again.

With no preamble, Dan thrust the robin's egg blue box towards her. "I was thinking you should have this. I mean, I've had it for months just sitting there in that drawer. So take it." His words tumbled out in a rush and after a pause, he added, "Please."

Blair was completely thrown off. She really had no idea how to react. She just stood there feeling discomfited until at last she decided on saying, "I don't think I want it."

She saw Dan's flustered-looking expression change into one of hurt. She quickly clarified, "It's sort of seems a bit irrelevant now. It would be… Painful to have."

His expression hardened. "Well, I don't want it either. Don't you think it's painful for me to have?"

She hadn't meant to anger him, she was trying to be honest for once. "I don't know. I didn't even know about it until tonight. So don't blame me."

"Blame you? Of course, Ii blame you. You were the one who started it all. You're really going to act blameless in this?"

"Started what, Dan?"

"You know, Blair. You were the one who invited me over for drinks."

"I was being neighborly. Stop making me regret it. You're the one who invited me over to watch a movie."

"You didn't let me finish." Dan cut in. "You started it that night you got the invitation. You said it first. That I was your favorite person. I wouldn't have ever gotten that damn engraving if it wasn't for that."

"Dan you've already told me enough times how much you hated that night. I don't need a replay." Blair said in her iciest tone. "In fact, I thought we were past that but since we aren't you can just go. I don't want to be friends with someone who uses my feelings against me."

Dan's expression softened a little. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. Blair kept her withering glare on him, determined to keep her brave face on and not let her facade crack. "Blair…"

"I… I didn't mean it that way. I never meant to imply I hated that night and what you said. It was the opposite. You said all the things I wanted to hear but just in the wrong ways." Dan said in a gentle tone.

Blair said nothing and Dan rubbed his fingers lightly over the box he was still holding. Then he proffered it again, "Please take it. I want you to have it."

"Why? It's not true."

"What's not true?" His expression was one of genuine confusion.

"The engraving." Blair said in a flat tone.

Dan's face creased, "Of course it is."

HIs matter-of-fact tone made Blair flinch in surprise. "You said, _You were_. Past tense."

"You were. And you still are." Dan's eyes were intense and he took a step closer to her.

"Oh. I thought." Blair was unable to finish, too overcome by the change in circumstance. She didn't know how to react now. Dan was still holding out the box and she took it from him, hesitantly.

"I had it all planned out." Dan was saying, suddenly. He gestured towards the ribbon, "I was going to loop that through the charm and then tie it into a bow. Since there's no chain for it. A bad idea though." He gave a brittle laugh.

Blair untied the ribbon securing the box and held it loosely between her fingers. She looked up at him with a tiny glimmer of hope. Dan seemed to read her expression and slowly grabbed the ribbon from her. Seeming to need some sort of affirmation that he was on the right track, Blair gave him a nod. He then reached for the box and brushed her fingers doing so. His hands lingered over hers for a moment before opening it and retrieving the charm. Then, he threaded the ribbon through and slid the heart-shaped charm towards the center. Blair took another step towards him and then turned around, moving her hair aside. She felt his fingertips graze her skin, brushing aside a few stray hairs. Then, she felt the cool ribbon slip across her as he tied it loosely around her neck.

She should have turned around, given he had moved her hair back to its original place and the necklace was secured around her. But she couldn't face him yet. She was afraid when she turned around it would be over. This moment of sweetness that felt so right could end in a second. Who knew? Maybe this was his one last gesture of whatever they were before it was over for good. A goodbye even.

"Blair." Dan's voice was no louder than a whisper and he was still so close that she could feel the heat of his breath against her ear. She felt his hand clasp around hers. She tightened her fingers around his thumb which was tucked into his palm and heard him let out a breath. Then, using the hand over hers, he spun he around to face him.

Her eyes scanned his face which was so close their noses were nearly touching. His eyes fell to her lips before he closed the gaps and leaned into kissed her. The kiss was soft and tentative. Their most gentle kiss, void of the urgency that was there the last time they had kissed. Blair couldn't help but feel it was a last kiss.

She broke apart from him. Unable to meet his gaze she kept her eyes downcast as she asked, "Is this goodbye?"

Dan shook his head, "I don't want it to be."

"Me neither." Blair said softly.

"It doesn't have to be." Dan's volume raised a little.

"Really?" Blair was still wary. They were just fighting no more than five minutes ago. This sudden shift felt too good to be true.

"I didn't mean to imply before that I didn't still feel the same about you. Of course, I do. I just… Didn't know how you felt."

Blair reached for his hands and rubbed her fingers over his gently hoping the simple gesture could convey how she felt. "You know. I may have been drunk but that doesn't mean it wasn't true."

"That day and night we spent together. I think about it all the time. I wish I would have told you then, how much I love you." Dan's eyes didn't leave hers as he said it in a steady voice.

Blair let out a breath, not even aware she had been holding it. "You do?"

"Of course I do."

Blair leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. She broke apart a few moments later. She knew then she needed to face her fears. "I love you, Dan."

Dan's face broke into a smile before he began kissing her again. This time, there was nothing hesitant about it. The tension had lifted and the kiss was rushed as though making up for the weeks spent apart.

Realizing they were still at the threshold, she pulled Dan in and closed the door behind him all while still kissing him.

"Hey Dan," Blair looked up at him. "I'm really glad it was me you buzzed to let you in."

"Me too." With a smile, Dan leans back in and this time, Blair knew he wouldn't breakaway.

* * *

 **End :) I hope you all enjoyed this story! I loved writing it and reading your reviews! I have started a new Dair story which is more of a romantic comedy. The first 3 chapters are up so if you are looking for a new fic to read, I would greatly appreciate you giving it a look :)**


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